Let’s start with the injury report: NoChauncey Billups and maybe no Amar’e Stoudemire for the New York Knicks. No Shaquille O’Neal for Boston, but that has not mattered.

New York always had just a puncher’s chance in this series — they were less talented but if Stoudemire could take over one game, if Anthony took over another, if Billups drained some big late shots then….

Nope. The Knicks landed their haymakers in Game 1 (Stoudemire was brilliant, so the Knicks went away from him in the final two minutes) and Game 2 (‘Melo went off) and it didn’t matter. The Celtics withstood the blows, executed late and won. Billups has been out since tweaking his knee late in Game 1 and been a non factor.

Game 3? That was pretty much where the talent levels of these teams are at. Boston was up 9-0 to start the game and it never felt any closer than that in a blowout win.

No Stoudemire and Billups should mean New York gives the Celtics the Full D’Antoni and just tries to run the into the ground. Run on everything. Makes and misses. But that’s probably not what happens, the ball will stick when it hits ‘Melo’s hands, the Celtics will run a hard double team at him and we’ll see what Shawne Williams and Toney Douglas can do. And Jared Jeffries, don’t forget Jared Jeffries. Meanwhile Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo will continue to have good series.

Boston knows the Heat are next and the more time off (likely a week, rumor is next weekend is when that series will start) the better. Their old legs could use it. But the Celtics are fully capable of going through the motions and losing — remember last year’s playoffs they were up 3-0 twice and lost Game 4 both times — forcing a Game 5 on Tuesday. It really is a matter of how focused they are on defense.

Everyone, including Spike Lee, knows how this movie ends. Boston is the better team, the Knicks wanted to make the playoffs and generate some excitement this season and they did that. The only question now is how long it drags out. And that is a matter of focus from the Celtics and how many Knicks can be put out on the court Sunday.